Donnington fighter can't overcome the odds
Donnington Boxing Club's Kyran Horton went into the West Midlands final of the England Development junior championships as the underdog and so it proved.
The 14-year-old, who attends Wrockwardine Wood Arts Academy, is still searching for his first victory from three competitive contests,
He came into tournament boxing at the Wallace Centre in Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday afternoon, taking on Aston's Regan Oliver in a regional decider.
They clashed at 48kg in Class A, for boxers born in 1999 who have had two to 10 bouts, while Class B incorporates 1998 entrants of the same experience.
Horton was in no real trouble despite the strength and skill of Oliver, who cruised through to the national stages by unanimous points decision.
But Donnington head trainer Tristan Davies believes his fighter will be all the better for the experience, saying: "I stuck him in this not really expecting him to be win, to be honest.
"He may be inexperienced and a bit raw, but Kryan is getting better all of the time. His footwork has improved, he just needs to get his shots off a bit better.
"That's what the Developments are for, giving kids the chance to start out in competition. He will be in them again next year.
"By then, he could have seven or eight fights under his belt and that will give him a far better chance of winning. It's all about getting rounds in for him, at the moment.
"He's tough, the other lad was quite strong but didn't work anywhere near hard enough to get the stoppage. He won fair and square, though."
